Twitter released an update today that adds image and video previews to the main feed in its Android, iOS, and browser apps. Opening images no longer requires you to click or tap the links in tweets, you can simply enlarge it from the preview directly from your feed!
For now, the previews will only work for Twitter hosted pictures and Vine videos, but it should expand to more formats soon. This is probably a move by Twitter to ease the serving of ads to your feed. But for now we can enjoy the benefits without auto-playing commercials filling up our feeds.
Speaking of Vine videos, Twitter announced the update to its service with a helpful Vine that shows off the functionality:
As you can see, the previews automatically show up in your feed perfectly re sized. This is very similar to the way Facebook does its previews, but it still maintains the simplicity of Twitter. You can still quickly peruse your feed, only enlarging the pics or videos you’re interested in. I think it adds a sorely lacking functionality to Twitter without adding a lot of bloat.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments, and check out Twitter’s announcement below for more information:
Picture this: More visual Tweets
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | By Michael Sippey (@sippey) [19:00 UTC]So many of the great moments you share on Twitter are made even better with photos or with videos from Vine. These rich Tweets can bring your followers closer to what’s happening, and make them feel like they are right there with you.
We want to make it easier for everyone to experience those moments on Twitter. That’s why starting today, timelines on Twitter will be more visual and more engaging: previews of Twitter photos and videos from Vine will be front and center in Tweets. To see more of the photo or play the video, just tap.
We’ve also made it easier for you to reply, retweet or favorite a Tweet without leaving your timeline; you can tap to do that right inside the Tweets you see in your timeline.
To get this update, download Twitter for Android or Twitter for iPhone. And we’re making the new photo and video previews available on Twitter.com, too.
[Via: Twitter]